The general adaptability of birds astounds me, and my feeling is that they have more reasoning powers than we give them credit for. A couple of examples are in order.
I’ve sat on the patio at the Breakwater Restaurant in Santa Barbara Harbor, having lunch and watching birds who have become very specialized by adapting to take advantage of brief opportunities.
People will leave plates with some food left on them and before the bus person can get there, the birds have gobbled some groceries as inconspicuously as possible.
Sometimes the birds don’t want to wait for people to finish with their meals and leave, so they engage in a gutsy aerial maneuver that reminds me of the German Stuka war plane tactics of World War II.
The bird makes a high-speed flyby, dipping to a half-inch above the plate and dipping its head with open beak, snatching a morsel of food in the process.
With this maneuver taking place right in front of a sitting person, it takes a brash and bold bird to pull it off. Naturally, that earns my respect, and I cheer the birds.
Another bird that has earned my respect is a crow that hangs out at the harbor and tries to imitate the feeding patterns of What and Up, which are two seagulls (they are a couple) who have adopted my charterboat.
It really frustrates that crow when it watches the seagulls effortlessly put an anchovy down the hatch. The crow’s hatch just isn’t built the same and he is forced to try to peck at the anchovy until a piece comes loose. It’s a riot to watch.
Hummingbirds belong on my list of adaptable birds, but not because they can learn new feeding methods. After all, they are limited by their beak design, which acts like a straw to suck nectar out of flowers. But they can adapt to working around people and seem to have no fear.
With their kind of speed, they can outmaneuver us even if we were trying to get them. Plus, that beak can serve as a devastating weapon should they need it.
I love critters of the land, sea and air. It seems that during the springtime it is birds who show me the most interesting tactics to elicit my appreciation and admiration.
— Capt. David Bacon operates WaveWalker Charters and is president of SOFTIN Inc., a nonprofit organization providing seafaring opportunities for those in need. Visit softininc.blogspot.com to learn more about the organization and how you can help. Click here to read previous columns. The opinions expressed are his own.
